Biodegradable soaps break down naturally, unlike hemical-laden counterparts. This means they don’t linger in water supplies and harm aquatic life. By choosing biodegradable, you’re choosing cleaner water and healthier ecosystems.
Green People offers a small range of hand washes (in easy-to-recycle sugar cane packaging) including an anti-bacterial version with manuka oil, an unscented version and an instant-foaming citrus hand wash for children with larch tree extract and tea tree oil (also good to wipe-clean sticky faces, toys and highchairs.
Choose unscented for pregnancy/nursing and affected medical conditions. Keep soaps away from young children and pets (due to citrus oils etc).
Other Good Brands of Biodegradable Hand Wash
Green People Berry Smoothie Hand Wash is sold in easy-to-recycle packaging. This features raspberry, vanilla and slightly foaming yucca, for a nice gentle hand wash for all the family. Free from alcohol, this hand wash is ideal for dry skin. Any ingredients like benzyl alcohol are natural components of essential oils (not from synthetic fragrance).
Beauty Kitchen offers biodegradable hand washes (scented with real essential oils) in aluminium bottles (with a one-time purchase ‘pump for life’). Made with coconut and sunflower oil, choose from Botanic (eucalyptus, may change & rosemary) or Citrus (grapefruit, orange, lemon).
Natrl (Buckinghamshire) offers organic hand wash (around £10, with organic sunflower/coconut oils, scented with bergamot & sweet orange essential oils).
Biodegradable Hand Soaps for Commercial Use
Bio-D Cleansing Hand Wash is made from biodegradable ingredients and sold in recycled plastic bottles, which are also easy to recycle. As as 5 litres and 20 litre drums (use with a reusable pump and tap for easy dispensing).
Choose Fragrance Free if pregnant/nursing, affected medical conditions (like asthma and epilepsy) and near babies and pets.
Online, buy cases to save on shipping costs.
If you prefer to use Scented Hand Wash, this brand is also available in the following scents (made with mild real essential oils)
- Plum Mulberry (5 litres)
- Lime Aloe Vera (5 litre and 20 litres)
- Geranium Grapefruit (5 litre)
- Mandarin Sanitiser Spray (5 litre). Wipe area, leave for 60 seconds, then wipe with clean damp cloth.
Wholesalers can order online and receive free marketing materials, and also offer refill stations, so buyers can return to refill their products. Just imagine if all shops, restaurants, schools, offices and commercial cleaning companies switched to this brand.
Delphis Eco is a brand mostly for commercial use. Sold in bottles made from recycled milk jugs, the range includes a liquid hand wash for sensitive skin and an anti-bacterial hand wash (both in 5L refills).
Alongside a non-flammable hand sanitiser in a handy pump dispenser, which cleans and kills germs and viruses, to prevent infection without need for drying. It also features a twin chain biocide to protect against bacteria, mould, yeast, algae and viruses.
Where to Recycle Empty Hand Wash Bottles
Terracycle offers a free recycling program (sponsored by industry). Just order a box and place it somewhere within your community (a local shop, school, council office etc). Then everyone can drop off items of beauty packaging they can’t recycle locally.
When full, just use the pre-paid label to ship it off, and the items are recycled into other goods like recycled plastic park benches etc.
As well as liquid hand soap bottles, you can also send off hand cream tubes and caps, shower & shampoo bottles (with refill pouches) and skincare pots and lids. Try to remove excess products, but you don’t have to clean the bottles before recycling. The program does not accept perfume bottles, aerosol bottles or nail polish bottles (just wrap and bin these).
